# Reviews of your holiday flat: how to get them, how to reply and what to do with a bad one

> A review is earned before the guest arrives. The five things that decide them, how to ask for them without being pushy, how to reply to a bad one without making it worse and why a high score is worth money.
>
> Topic: Day to day · Reviewed: 2026-09-22 · URL: https://mipisoturistico.app/en/guides/reviews-of-your-holiday-flat-how-to-get-them-how-to-reply-and-what-to-do-with-a-bad-one
> Published by Mi Piso Turístico (Torremolinos Gestión Vacacional), a holiday-rental management company on the Costa del Sol.

**Short answer:** reviews decide the price you can charge and the position you appear in. They are earned with **cleanliness, bed, Wi-Fi, air conditioning and everything working**, and with fast, clear communication before, during and after the stay. They are requested with a message the day after check-out. And a bad one is answered within 24 hours, calmly, acknowledging what is true and explaining what you have changed; never arguing.

## What do reviews decide?

On Booking and Airbnb, the score directly affects your position in searches and the badges ("Superhost", "Preferred"). A flat rated 9.2 can charge 10 % to 20 % more than one rated 8.4 with the same places and the same street. And the first five reviews of a new listing are the most important: without them, almost nobody books.

## What decides them?

In order of appearance in the comments:

1. **Cleanliness** on arrival.
2. **Bed and rest** (mattress, pillows, noise).
3. **Everything working**: air conditioning, hot water, Wi-Fi, lock.
4. **Communication**: fast replies, clear instructions, someone at the other end if something happens.
5. **The flat being like the photos**: photos sell, but misleading photos are paid for in the review.

The rest (views, decoration, welcome touches) adds half a point. The above takes off two.

## Each platform's deadlines

- **Airbnb**: guest and host have **14 days** from check-out to write; reviews are published when both have written or when the 14 days are up, and **cannot be changed** afterwards. If you cancel a booking on the day of arrival or later, the guest can still review you.
- **Booking**: the guest receives the invitation about 48 hours after check-out and has **90 days** to write; reviews are visible for **36 months** and the score is the average of the last three years. You can reply from the extranet or Pulse; Booking checks the reply before publishing it.
- **Vrbo**: **180 days** to start a review; once one party writes, the other has 14 days, and they are published at the same time.

## How do you ask for them?

- A **message the day after check-out**: "Thank you for your stay, we hope you enjoyed it. If you have a minute, your feedback helps us a lot". Without insisting.
- On Airbnb, **review the guest first**: that reminds them they can review you.
- Do not ask for "five stars": ask for their opinion. Platforms penalise pressure.

## How do you reply to a good one?

Short, personal and with a detail: "Thank you, María. We're glad you enjoyed the terrace as much as we do. We'll be here". Replying to all of them, not just the bad ones, shows the next guests that there is someone there.

## And to a bad one?

1. **Within 24 hours**, without writing it in the heat of the moment.
2. **Acknowledge what is true** ("you're right: the air conditioning took a while to cool").
3. **Say what you have done** ("the unit was replaced this week").
4. **Do not argue** or tell your side of the dispute: the next guest reads it, not the one who complained.
5. If the review is **false or breaks the platform's rules** (insults, personal data, blackmail), request its removal through the official channel with evidence.

A calm reply to a bad review convinces the next guest more than ten good reviews left unanswered.

## Can bad ones be avoided?

Many, yes: most come from an unmet expectation that nobody dealt with during the stay. A mid-stay message ("everything OK? need anything?") brings the problem out in time, when it can still be solved, and the guest remembers it when scoring.

## What does a manager do with reviews?

They are all read every week, all are replied to and complaints that repeat in a flat become tasks (change a mattress, upgrade the Wi-Fi speed). A good average is what lets you charge more per night; a review is not an opinion, it is data.

## Sources

- [Booking.com Partner Hub: everything you need to know about guest review scores](https://partner.booking.com/en-us/help/guest-reviews/general/everything-you-need-know-about-guest-review-scores)
- [Airbnb: time limit for writing a review](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/995)
- [Airbnb: how reviews work](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/13)
- [Booking.com Partner Hub: guest reviews (in Spanish)](https://partner.booking.com/es/ayuda)